CARLSTADT, N.J., Oct. 3, 2012 – Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced the Spring/Summer 2014 edition of PANTONE® VIEW Colour Planner. Looking at color as a language, this multi-discipline color forecast, titled Portal, highlights the key palettes for women’s wear, menswear, active wear, cosmetics and lifestyle, as well as industrial and graphic design.

Portal speaks to a point of joining, a transitional moment where we look back to the past as well as forward toward what’s to come. Fusing wisdom and the legacy of experience with curiosity and the gift of youth, as we move through the portal we become a part of another view, forming a path that leads to another world and a fresh new perspective.

Similarly, the colors on our wheel for Spring/Summer 2014 are all interconnected. As we travel through the portal we see the use of strong color continuing, becoming more grown-up, mellow and sophisticated in its level of thinking.

“Color has the power to stimulate consumer emotions and influence purchasing decisions. As today’s consumer becomes increasingly color savvy, it is critical that color remains a pivotal part of any design strategy,” said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. “The PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner forecast not only provides fresh and unexpected color combinations needed to capture the attention of the consumer, but also the context, material and product direction for how the colors can be used.”

Passage
Passage highlights blue, a color most appreciated through personal perception: Blues of innocence, sadness and hope, and blues of the sky, the infinite, the everything and the nothing.

Both Sides Now
Both Sides Now draws on the past to paint a modern future with a palette immersed in rich sepia tones, antique white, lamp black and yellow ochre, blended to obscure and reveal hidden layers.

Turned on its Head
Turned on its Head reflects the passion for fantasy and augmented realities, revealing vivid pink, red and orange color exchanges to create fabulous and sometimes unsettling color blends.

Trip Time
Trip Time is a combination of bright and intense colors inspired by moments of growth in nature and the energy exchange between light, water and heat.

Harmonic Oscillation
Harmonic Oscillation is a mosaic drawn from nature where dark blue is over-dyed with green lichen, teamed to lagoon greens, scaled to sand, as well as a hint of gray taken from the morning sky.

Portal shows a continued interest in bold colors; however, the overall feeling has evolved to be more mature and refined:

Bright colors remain a talking point, but the use of brights is more modulated, less obvious and more harmonious than in the last two seasons.

Pastels are split into two directions: A shaded grown-up version and a stronger, floral-scented palette, which works as a frame for brights and neutrals.

Grays serve as skeletal bones, used across the palettes and fleshed out by other colors.

Neutrals become colored in feeling rather than being just natural and ecru-based.

Blue continues to suit everyone – inspired by a crystal tone to beautify, lift and energize the season.

Metallics help lift the less colorful palettes with their reflective and light-carrying properties.

Black has an important role as a background color for other palettes, and whites should be enjoyed naturally.

Pink gains importance this season as an emotional and complex color with an extensive range of tonal possibilities for both men and women.

Published bi-annually, 18 to 24 months in advance of the season, the PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner is based on the PANTONE FASHION + HOME Color System, the most widely used and recognized color standard in the world. The book is produced by a team of leading visionaries from all over the world with expertise in different disciplines, providing a comprehensive color-forecasting service for multiple design areas.

Within each of the season’s directional color palettes, a general introduction outlines the colors included and the philosophy behind them. In addition, a specific breakdown of each palette highlights harmonies, suggested color combinations and suitable patterns, fabrics and products according to end use. For added convenience and usability, at the end of each palette section, a printed version of each PANTONE FASHION + HOME Color is featured in perforated chip form and 1” x 4” detachable cotton strips. The PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner Spring/Summer 2014 also comes with a comprehensive color card highlighting the entire seasonal forecast in cotton swatch format, a DVD containing static images of photos used to illustrate the seasonal themes along with a movie version that has music to set the unique mood of each individual palette, and a poster-sized overview of the season.

Pricing and Availability
The PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner Spring/Summer 2014 is available immediately for $750 from Pantone at www.pantone.com/vcpss2014 or from PANTONE distributors nationwide. Visit www.pantone.com or call (888) PANTONE for a list of distributors. PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner is published bi-annually by Metropolitan Publishing BV.

About Pantone
Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, has been the world's color authority for nearly 50 years, providing design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers paint and designer-inspired products and services for consumers. More information is available at www.pantone.com. For the latest news, trends, information and conversations, connect with Pantone on Twitter and Facebook.

About X-Rite
X-Rite, Incorporated, is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes color industry leader Pantone, develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Rite's expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com.